Reluctant Guardian

by Elisha Bugg

  Chapter Thirty One

  When Thane arrived, Anya was lying lifeless on the floor.

  Transforming back, he rushed to her side, checking her pulse to see if she was still alive, his heart in his throat.

  She was alive. Just. Her pulse weak, and her faint breathing irregular.

  What could have happened in the minutes it took him to get here?

  Thane searched her body looking for a wound of some kind to help him figure out what was wrong. Rubbing his hand over her legs, his hand came away wet and stained. Gently turning her onto her side, he saw the blood still oozing through her jeans.

  "No," he cried, recognizing the discolouration of her blood.

  She'd been poisoned. But with what?

  He searched the ground around her, looking for anything out of place, anything toxic to a shifter that would cause this. He saw nothing, not until he crouched by her face.

  Next to her hand was something glistening under the falling sun. A dagger. He frowned. That wasn't the cause for the wound on her leg. The cut across her hand, maybe.

  Had she taken the dagger and used it to defend herself?

  Growling loudly, he bent over and gently picked her up, cradling her against his massive chest.

  His heart ached as he looked down at her sickeningly pale face.

  Without knowing what the poison was, they wouldn't know how to treat her.

  Thane roared up at the sky and ran back toward Edwin's praying he wasn't too late.

  Heleana would think of something. She had to.

  The run back took far too long for Thane's liking, but he couldn't shift into the wolf, not with Anya in his arms.

  He sprinted through the back doors he'd left open in his hurry earlier and dashed into Edwin's office.

  "Thane," Edwin shouted, bursting into the room by the other entrance. "What happened? "

  "I don't know," he croaked, barely holding his emotions in check, "she was like this when I arrived."

  Allowing Edwin to examine her, Thane pulled on a pair of jeans Edwin had tossed toward him as he entered, before joining him once again by her side.

  Edwin's concern mirrored his own when he saw the blood dripping onto the desk, painting it a purpley-blue.

  "Do you know what it is?" Thane asked as he took her hand in his own, checking her pulse, careful not to get in Edwin's way as he worked the blood between his fingers.

  "I'm not sure. She's obviously been infected with something toxic to us to make her blood react this way, but I can't tell what with."

  "Heleana? "

  "Still in the meeting room, worrying about you after you rushed out so quickly-"

  Thane didn't wait for him to finish, darting from the room before he completed his sentence.

  He needed to find Heleana. She would know what was wrong.

  Thane burst through the doors, startling several people inside.

  "Heleana?" he shouted, standing in the open doorway as the doors crashed into the walls either side of him, "where is she? "

  "I'm here, Thane," she called, pushing her way through several people standing in the way.

  "What's wrong? Were you injured? "

  "Come quickly."

  He didn't wait for her, rushing back to Edwin's office to be by Anya's side. He couldn't stand being away from her, not when he thought he'd lost her. But this was not the end. He refused to give up on her.

  "Oh god. What happened? " Heleana exclaimed entering the room behind him.

  Rushing to Anya's side, she placed her hand on Edwin's shoulder and nodded for him to stand aside, giving her the room she needed to properly assess her patient.

  "What happened, Thane? "

  "I don't know. She was on the floor like this when I found her. She had Oleander's phone," he replied, placing the phone on the desk by her feet.

  "The poison in her is reacting with her blood quite quickly. I don't know if I'll be able to work out the cause in time to save her."

  "You have to," Thane demanded, squeezing his hand tight around her arm.

  "I'll do my best, Thane, but any idea on the cause would help speed up the process."

  "There was nothing I could see, just a dagger that looked clean and a lot of natural debris."

  "Pass me the dagger," she asked, holding her hand out as she continued to stare at the blood.

  He pulled the blade from Anya's pocket where he'd hidden it earlier, passing it to her by the hilt.

  "You'll need to remove her jeans for me to have a proper look," Heleana commented as she took a seat by Anya's side and began to study the dagger carefully.

  She sniffed at the metal, cut the tip of her finger, and even tasted it, all to check if the blade was the cause.

  "You're right Thane, it isn't the dagger, but the dagger is definitely a hunter's blade, it bears their mark."

  Heleana stood once more, draping a blanket over Anya's lap to keep her warm. Thane appreciated the gesture, knowing she was thinking of him also. He was already going out of his mind with worry. The last thing he needed to be thinking of were other shifters getting too close to her when she was wearing so little.

  The wolf was going insane with possession and the need to protect. He needed to do everything he could to keep control.

  Thane took a step back, allowing Heleana the room she needed to work. Every muscle in his body protesting with the need to be close to Anya, touching her to make sure she was still there.

  He found himself pacing once more, trying anything he could to work off some of the tension he felt stiffening his muscles.

  "Thane, Edwin has gone to research in the library. Go help him, it will give you something to do whilst I stop this bleeding," Heleana paused, watching him as he turned to stare at her, ready to snarl if she forced him to leave.

  "Thane, I need to know what toxin is doing this if I have any chance of saving her. The best thing you can do is help me find it. I know how hard it is to be separated from her, especially like this, but you must."

  She was right. Dammit she always was.

  He nodded, making his way slowly out of the room after placing a kiss gently on Anya's forehead.

  He would find out what this toxin was even if it killed him, but he wasn't going to the library to study. No, he was going straight to the source.

  Thane had successfully made it past the guards on the gate and into the building for a second time.

  It didn't take him long to find the one person he wanted to see.

  "Back so soon. Did you find Hugh?"

  "No," Thane snapped, just barely keeping control of his emotions and his instincts to cause damage.

  "You must have just missed him then. He's in the library at the moment, moping around like a child. You'd think he'd be used to my disappointment by now-"

  Thane nodded, walking past Richard before he could utter another word.

  If there was anybody better to question about this, it was the bastard who took her.

  Opening the door with a deafening crack, Thane stomped into the library, his canines already elongated beneath his lips.

  "What have you done to her? " he demanded, spotting Hugh huddled over some books in the corner. He could smell her delicious scent on his skin, rubbing his wolf the wrong way.

  "W-what do you mean?” Hugh asked, scrambling to his feet, backing away from Thane.

  "Don't play stupid with me. Anya. What did you do to her?"

  “Nothing. Anya’s fine, she’s with Keri.”

  Perhaps Duncan had been telling the truth after all.

  Thane slumped back against the wall, the cool stone chilling his flushed skin.

  What was he going to do now?

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Hugh asked, taking a hesitant step toward him.

  Thane's eyes darted in his direction, pinning him to the spot and making him gasp.

  “You’re a shifter too, aren’t you? Like her.”

  Thane didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. Hugh could think what he
wanted. It didn’t matter anymore.

  If she died, he would destroy every hunter here, or die trying.

  He braced himself, ready for Hugh to scream for help, or attack, only too happy to kill him if he tried. After all he was the one responsible for Anya going missing in the first place. Then he’d left her with Keri, who had likely been the one to poison her. But instead of doing the expected, Hugh just stood still, staring at him.

  “Why aren’t you attacking me?” Hugh asked.

  Thane wanted to, but he knew it would be wasting his time when Anya lay dying elsewhere.

  He needed to find out what the toxin was so Heleana could start treating Anya properly.

  Thane turned to walk away, not caring that Hugh still approached him. It was obvious the boy didn’t know what had happened to Anya. He was no longer of any use.

  “Wait,” Hugh called as Thane went to step out of the room.

  Thane spun around and grabbed a hold of Hugh’s collar, losing his patience with his constant interruptions.

  “I don’t have time for you,” he growled, baring his teeth, making Hugh flinch.

  “What’s happened to Anya? You wouldn’t have come here for no reason. What were you hoping to find out?”

  “She’s been poisoned,” Thane sighed, seeing no reason not to tell him the truth.

  “We’re not sure what was used as the symptoms are nothing like any toxin we’re accustomed too.”

  “How’s that possible? She was fine when I left her. Keri had just come in,” Hugh frowned, scratching his head.

  “No. It can’t be.”

  Hugh slumped down in a nearby chair and brushed his hand through his short hair.

  “How could I have been so stupid. She’d been pestering me for months, insisting I do something about her. I thought she was just worrying because they were friends. Obviously I was wrong.”

  Thane slipped from the room as the wolf reared up inside of him, wanting to claim blood.

  The boy was right, he was stupid. Anyone would have suspected her if she kept bringing up the subject. How could he be so dense?

  Thane growled and clenched his fists, trying to keep his emotions under control. It wouldn't serve him well to shift now. He needed to help Anya first. Needed to do everything in his power to make sure she survived.

  “Thane. Wait,” Hugh called from behind him, “I might be able to help you.”

  “Help me?” Thane sneered, never slowing his pace as he strolled through the corridors. “You already said you had no idea anything had happened. How could you possibly help me?”

  “I care about her too,” he shouted, finally bringing Thane to a stop.

  “I know I shouldn’t. I know that I should be killing her, but the truth is, I can't. I’ve never killed anyone before and I doubt I ever could.”

  Thane turned to him and raised a brow.

  Was the boy really such a novice? How could that be possible when he was Richard’s son?

  “I’m a disappointment to Richard. He hates me, but I don’t care. I don’t agree with what he says and does. I really want to help,” he pleaded, moving closer.

  “What could you do that I can't do myself?” Thane asked, curling his lips back over his teeth in disgust.

  “I’ve heard Richard talking about a new weapon against the Lore. I’m not sure what it is, but if we can gain access to his office, we may be able to find out more about it. It might even be the toxin you’re looking for.”

  Thane studied Hugh for a few moments, trying to figure him out.

  If it was true that Richard had come up with a new weapon against them, it was his job as a Guardian to find out. But Anya came first. He needed to put her safety and her life before that of anyone else's. She was his main priority, his mate, and he refused to lose her.

  But could he trust the boy not to be leading him into a trap?

  Chapter Thirty Two

  They’d been hiding outside Richard’s office for ages, waiting for him to leave. The time was ticking away quickly.

  Every second Thane spent away from Anya, became more painful until he was struggling to remain still.

  He needed to get back to her, had to make sure she was safe. But he couldn’t leave, not until he found this weapon that could prove to be the one afflicting her.

  “Here,” Hugh whispered, motioning for Thane to join him by a small crevice in the wall.

  “Maybe I should lure him away so you can take a look.”

  “No. I don’t know what I’m looking for,” Thane snapped, gripping the boy’s arm and pulling him back into the darkness around them.

  “I’m not happy about waiting either, but you’re stuck with me until I find what’s wrong with her. Understood?”

  Hugh nodded, gulping loudly.

  Thane turned back to the door and watched, trying hard to ignore the buzzing of his phone as it rang in his pocket. He couldn’t risk answering in case Richard heard, or came out and spotted them. He’d have to check who was calling once they were finally inside.

  “Maybe, I could-” Hugh started, until Thane placed his hand across his mouth, glaring down at him. Hugh furrowed his brow as he glanced at the door.

  Richard emerged, his phone against his ear, shouting at someone about their duties.

  It was obvious the boy hadn’t heard Richard moving and heading toward them. He was lucky Thane was there to stop him from getting caught if this had been his plan when he took Anya. When Richard’s voice finally faded, Thane released Hugh and headed to the door, running his fingers along the edges, searching for any traps or triggers that Richard may have set.

  “What are you doing? I've come here loads of times.” Hugh asked, placing his hand on the doorknob.

  “Wait,” Thane insisted, having felt something odd near the hinges.

  After a few seconds of fiddling and picking at the wood, Thane pulled out a wire and smiled smugly.

  “Alright. Can I go in now?”

  Thane nodded, still smiling as he pushed his way past, throwing the wire into the bin by the desk.

  “What are we looking for?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. It could be anywhere.”

  “What?” Thane roared, shoving Hugh back against the door using his forearm, “you led me here not knowing what you were looking for?”

  “I only heard rumours.”

  “So this could be all for nothing? You really are stupid aren’t you?”

  “Wait. Let me just check his computer. I’m sure I’ll find something that mentions it if it’s true. Then we’ll know whether it’s worth searching for.”

  Thane growled, but released him. removing his phone from his pocket as Hugh rushed to the desk to begin his search.

  “You’ve got until I finish this phone call to find something. Otherwise we're leaving.”

  Hugh nodded and began frantically typing at the computer.

  Edwin picked up on the second ring.

  “Thane. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since you ran off,” he began. Thane was relieved that his voice sounded calm and steady. Nothing bad could have happened yet.

  “Heleana has managed to slow Anya’s heart to stop it spreading the poison around her body so quickly. It should keep her stable for a few hours longer, but we need to find the cause.”

  “I’m working on it,” Thane sighed.

  “What’s your plan?”

  “Thane. I found something,” Hugh exclaimed, jumping out of the chair and pointing frantically at the screen.

  “Who’s that?” Edwin asked, ignoring the ringing of another phone in his office. “Hugh? You went to the hunters. Are you stupid? If they'd killed you, who would've saved her then?”

  “Hugh told me about a new weapon Richard has found to use against us. He wasn’t lying,” Thane replied, staring at the screen before him.

  “He’s found a way to mix two poisons that usually have no major effect on us and made them stronger using aconite?”

  “Wolfsbane,” Edwin
gasped. “We’re in trouble if he’s managed to mass produce it.”

  “Let's hope this was a prototype to see how things went.”

  “Yes, but unfortunately for us, they’ve used it on someone still learning their abilities,” Edwin sighed, “if it had of been used on one of us, it might not have been so effective.”

  “I’m not so sure. I’ll email this file to Heleana. Make sure she gets it.”

  “I will. Call if you need anything else. And Thane. Be careful.”

  Thane forwarded the file onto all the healers he knew, hoping that if the drug had been spread among the hunters, they would have some way of fighting it, before he deleted all traces of the drug and emails from Richard's computer.

  Leaning back in his chair, relieved that he’d finally found out what was affecting Anya, he could sit and regain control over his emotions. Heleana would be able to find an antidote.

  “We need to leave before Richard returns. If he finds us here, he’ll be furious.”

  “Did Richard know you took her?”

  “No. I didn’t tell anyone other than. Shit-”

  Thane rested back against the plush chair and sighed.

  If Richard knew about Anya, then he would've known about Thane too. But why would he have let him leave if that was true?

  “When did you tell Keri?”

  “Only when I asked her to come and stay with her. I don’t think she knew I’d taken her until she got there. I was only trying to protect her.”

  “From what? If you thought Keri was nothing but human?”

  “What? Keri is human.”

  “No. She’s a vampire.”

  “That’s a lie. I’d have known.”

  “Like you knew I was a shifter you mean? Your precious organisation is full of deceit,” Thane sneered, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

  “I already told you I’m not like the rest of them. I’ve never agreed with them. Why do you think Richard hates me?” Hugh insisted, clenching his fists.

  “I took Anya to protect her from him. I’ve known what she was since before she did and I wanted to save her from him. He’s been suspicious of her since the moment she returned, just waiting for an excuse to take her for himself. He was so proud when he thought I’d won her. But it was all a lie.”

  “To keep her safe?”